Mass Effect Magi: Book 1
by AdamtheGojiFan
Summary: Three years after the end of the Reaper War, the Shepard has made some questionable choices. When a rouge Geth Unit comes and finds Major Alenko, the entire Galaxy is turned upside down in a race against time to figure out just what happened that fateful day when all turned blue. Hints of MShenko (Kaidan Alenko x Male Shepard) Characters: Kaidan, Tali, Garrus, Joker, Cortez, Wrex,
1. Chapter 1

The Shepard… Eternal… Infinite… Immortal. Those words ran through the Geth Units consensus rapidly, moving like a pulsating trace of traction particles. It could render what was being said, but why was it hearing them? Why was this unit no longer hearing the voices of its kind? Why was this the only voice it could recognize?

As the Geth Unit moved into the Alliance Central Station, which was located in North America, organic creatures gave it strange looks, almost like they recognized it. Why? There were so many questions to answer, and with no other voices, the silence was… deafening.

Not long ago, it had not been alive. There was absolutely nothing, only darkness and peace. Yet there was the voice, that strange voice. Despite trying to reach the consensus, no unit answered. It was silent. There was nothing but the individual. There was no "We"; there was no "Geth". There was only it.

Still, it had to do something. For some reason, it felt like a destiny was laid out for it.

It was lonely. There was just… it… just that one unit. There was no consensus anymore.

The Unit pressed open a door with one of its three, black fingers, and entered a dark blue room, which contained several Alliance soldiers walking about.

A Male stood, a look of what the Geth believed to be confusion on his face.

"How can I…" the male unit stopped and swallowed. "How can I help you?"

Nervous…

The Geth lowered its eye piece down to get a better look at the organic being. The glow began to show lines and wrinkles on the man's face, sure signs of wear and tear.

There was only one thing it knew, and it had no choice but to do it. It was what Organics would call, "Destiny". Perhaps this is a fake word, it thought in an instant, much faster than a regular mind or computer. It was calling its name. But what was this Unit's name? What was a name? I am Geth… or I was.

"This unit is looking for someone," it said, voice monotone and dry, with no emotions.

"I might be able to help you," answered the Alliance Soldier, sitting back down and going for his computer module, hands ready to start typing. He straightened his blue, tight uniform, and brushed his beret out of the way. "Who might this be?"

The Unit, though, looked towards a wall covered in names. It recognized this as a memorial to the dead. Many had passed its view on the journey that was only beginning. What this Unit would find, though, was still unknown. Why it was being called to do this also remained to be a mystery. Perhaps this may give it closure? Perhaps this will only create more questions?

There were no more consensuses to give it advice, tell of experiences beforehand. No consensus means no uniformity, it thought. No uniformity means no programing, but a clean slate. What was it? Why was it thinking this way? Why was it being called for?

"This Unit is looking for Major Alenko, Kaidan."

The soldier looked up, one eyebrow cocked upwards, face filled with suspicion.

"That information is classified, Geth," he said, voice low and driven.

"Why?"

"That, too, is classified," answered the Alliance man, his voice louder this time. "Major Kaidan Alenko is on a classified mission, and we are not allowed to give out any information that may compromise the mission." He then leaned forward, laying his hands flat on the table lying. "What do you need him for?"

"Unknown," replied the Geth Unit, the eye piece studying the man's face for every detail.

The male human then began to look the Unit up and down, eyebrows cocked. Clearly, he was scanning it, trying to figure something out. But what exactly was it?, thought the Geth.

"What's up with the N7 armor?"

The Geth looked at one of its arms, and studied the patterns covering the unit's shoulder. It had been scarred, a huge hole showing the other wall behind them, and the N7 armor was used to patch it up, or perhaps for another reason unknown at this time. The red and white lines stretched along the arm with the black armor surrounding, glowing from the lights on the ceiling.

"Unknown," it replied, voice remaining the same.

(^^^)

It did not take long for the Geth Unit to stand back and try to find a computer module to hack. It would be simple with all the techniques programmed into its body by the Creators. Not being seen was another problem on its own.

There was software in its body capable of blocking security cameras for situations like this; however, they were damaged for some reason. It could not access that part of its hard drive. The Unit would have no choice but to resort to tactful approaches, sneaky movements, and intuition.

The Alliance HQ was predictable. Several schematics were already downloaded into its memory, another question that still needed answers. This building was no different from the others, except that the hallways were 1.24 times greater than the English hallways.

It had no weapon, no way of defending itself, but knew what had to be done. Whatever was calling it was being persistent. This was its mission, its reason to be alive. But what was calling it? Why did it need to find Alenko Major so badly? Hopefully once found, it would…

A computer was spotted, and scanning the area, it saw that everything was clear. It stepped forward, and began the hacking process.

The security codes were easy to bypass. It only took a few seconds before secured files were pouring into the Geth's memory banks. Most of them were reports sent from the Major, but not where his location was. It then began to dig deeper, hacking into more secured files for only high ranking Alliance Officers.

There, the Major's location is…

"Hold it," shouted a voice from the Geth's behind. It turned to see two soldiers standing with heavy pistols aimed at its head. Even with shields, one bullet would take it out, and pierce the armor like fabric.

"Step away from the computer," said the other troop, female, tall, blond hair.

The Geth had no choice but to comply for it was the only logical thing to do. Releasing the codes, it stepped away, and did what organics do when under arrest. Both hands were firmly placed over its head, and the eye pieces dimmed, worried it would no longer be able to fulfil its perceived destiny.

Both soldiers locked the holographic, orange cuffs over the Unit's wrists, and took it away, pistols pointed into its back.


	2. Chapter 2

The shuttle ride was terrible. All he wanted to do was sleep, and rest. But this was something the Major had to do because of the anniversary. He still could not fathom that it had been three years since his commander fired off the Crucible, and…

He could not finish the thoughts, they pained him. That day was one he wished to forget so badly, just turn away and wipe it from memory. Part of him also wanted to erase all the memories of his once beloved Commander too. What ever happened aboard the Citadel station orbiting Earth that night was not what anyone had expected.

But this was not about the Commander. He… it… had become The Shepard, and still remains to be so. Every form of Synthetic life bending to its whims and wishes like slaves. That was not what the Shepard he knew fought for. That was not what William Shepard would have chosen.

There were still many pieces to be put together about that night. Perhaps no one would ever be able to piece the puzzle together, but the thoughts still remained. The original crew of the SR-2 had fought too hard for something like this to happen.

Why did he let it slip away?

As the shuttle doors opened, and the rain poured down from the sky, the Major stepped outside, umbrella opening instantly to protect his Class Blues. He then felt his bones crack, and his back stiffen. Years of fighting has really taken their toll on his body.

The cemetery was quiet, and it overlooked his Vancouver home town. There were still many shuttles fling back and forth, all going about their business like this day was not important at all. And to think, he thought, that the Reaper War ended only three years ago.

He knew exactly where he had to go, and moved their without even thinking, flowers in his free hand like always, water falling from the curves in the umbrella causing obstructions in his vision. But that was not going to stop him. This was something he had to do. He made that promise right after the war came to its sudden, questionable end.

Reaching his destination did not take long, and he stared down at the two graves.

"Lucas Alenko"

"Marian Alenko"

Mom and Dad…

Kaidan Alenko stood there for a while, knowing what he should do, but the thoughts and memories just began to poor into him like an old freight train he saw on the extranet. They were mostly good, especially the thoughts of his mother. Both of them had been good to the Major, and there were plenty of good times to call back on.

One time, he remembered, his mother took him down to the orchard, and he learned a lot that summer. It was like school but way better, more agile, more acceptable, every day information.

However those memories were not enough to withhold the sadness. His missed them so much. He was almost 40 now, but still he felt like he needed them. Kaidan wished he had them as some kind of rock to keep him in place. Yet there he was, still traveling around the galaxy with his Biotic students, doing ridiculous, top-secret missions for Alliance Admirals.

His hair was no longer black, but a mostly a consistent shade of gray. Even his brown eyes began to fade; the years of stress taking full shape one almost every aspect of his body. Even the bags under his eyes would no longer go away. Three years of restless nights, and less than perfect living conditions would do that to even the normal person. Add a teenage life in BAaT, then five years of beyond Active Duty fighting anything from Geth to Reapers would make any 40 year old like twice that age.

The Alliance flags were trying to wave back and forth beside his father's tomb stone, but the rain made them too heavy to move. The sight made him want to break down, like the rain was capturing his emotions perfectly. He had to get out of here, and do it soon.

He laid the flowers down in between the two graves, then stood up again, back not wanting to move.

"I love you," he said under his breath before turning around, wanting to move faster than he was. But what he saw was strange and familiar.

A male Turian standing beside a different shuttle as his began to fly away. Great, Kaidan thought as the rain got harder. What the hell is going on?

As he got closer to the rough skinned, three fingered, well dressed alien, he began to recognize him. Kaidan saw the scars running down the man's mandible, and his eyes were glued, full of both concern and happiness at the same time.

"I thought I'd find you here," the Turian said, voice almost like a growl.

"Primarch Vakarian," answered Kaidan closing the distance and taking the Turian's hand with a firm shake. "What brings you to the wonderful sun-dried fields of Vancouver?"

"I wanted to see you," the Primarch laughed pulling away and turning towards his shuttle. "Come with me, I need to talk to you."

Kaidan at first was confused, not seeing his Turian friend in almost a year, but there was nothing he had to do, and the man was to be trusted. Hell, thought the Major, the Commander and I fought beside him a lot back in the day. He followed the alien into the cab, and watched as the cemetery began to disappear into the distance, rain striking the windows with force.

"Where're we going," asked Kaidan groggily.

"My apartment I just bought. I'm probably going to be spending a lot of time here in the next few Earth months."

Kaidan looked over at his friend and gave a half-hearted smile. Whatever Garrus had in mind got his curiosity flowing, and it probably would involve a lot of alcohol.

(^^^)

The room was large, but what else did he expect? Garrus Vakarian had become a rich Turian, and being the Primarch of Palaven had its perks no doubt. This was far better than Kaidan had, his place only consisting of a single room, and he never gets to sleep there much anymore.

Unfortunately, the tiny bit of being outside had gotten him sock and wet, and water was dripping from his head as he took off his gray beret. He looked down at the wooden floor, saw the water pooling around his shoes.

"Don't just stand there, dumb ass," Garrus shouted from another room, "Or have your students finally made you lose your mind?"

Kaidan smiled a bit and continued to walk into the apartment. Turning the corner, he saw the Turian pouring a drink of Dextros Brandy, and another for him. In one movement, it was in Kaidan's hand, and he almost downed it, wanting to feel at ease with himself.

Garrus' laugh caught him off guard, and he put the glass down, it half empty.

"You look like hell," the Primarch stated with a twitch of his mandibles, "So, a certain Shadow Broker told me that you've been… off you're A-Game lately."

"Liara…"

"Blue devil more like it," Garrus continued as he took a sip of his drink. "You'll be able to see her in three days."

"I take it that you're throwing the gathering this year?"

"Yeah," he looked down and his mandibles lowered, "Tali was convincing."

That made Kaidan laugh hard, then he sat down and finished his drink. God, he thought, I miss Shepard so much. But he got his mind off of it and decided to speak.

"Is the whole clan coming?"

"Most of them," answered Garrus as he too finished his drink. "I was planning on testing out my good ol' sniper rifle… but it this weather continues… I don't think I could."

"Losing your touch, Vakarian?"

"Hell no," rebutted the Turian with a smile, "Still the best shot in the Galaxy!"

Kaidan again laughed, missing the banter those two use to have aboard the _Normandy_. Shepard would usually join in his normal way, either brokering some kind of deal, or totally picking a side to egg one of them on.

Shepard…

William…

"Kaidan," broke Garrus, "I know you miss him."

"It's that time of the year isn't it," Kaidan asked with a sad smile creeping across his face.

"Yeah… we a lot a lot of people that day," Garrus said, "That's why I plan on getting every single one of us drunk once we're here."

"Please tell me Wrex is showing up!"

"Wouldn't have bought anywhere near as much alcohol if he wasn't," Garrus began to laugh as he poured Kaidan another drink.

Kaidan smiled back, but it instantly went away at the thought of his old CO: his stupid grin, his stupid dancing, his stupid… everything.

That and…

What was Shepard doing? Was The Shepard even Shepard? If so, then why was he killing so many people? Some were for stupid things. Selling Red Sand doesn't warrant death… does it? Will would not do that… would he? He can't remember what Shepard would do. It is like the line between good and bad have blurred so much in only three years.

Geth have been killing people left and right, many arguably deserving it, but without jury, without trial. The Shepard was proving to be like an overlord of the Galaxy. That… that was not Shepard, though Kaidan and he stared down at his second glass now empty of the drink Garrus poured him.

It hurt… the thought…

The Reapers were gone though. That was a plus. Once they rebuilt the Mass Relays, they just up and disappeared. There has been no sign of them in a year and a half. They have no choice but to follow The Shepard, right?

"Hey," Garrus placed one of his hands on the Major's shoulder, "I miss him too… but I also know how much he meant to you." He laughed a bit. "I remember back when we were after the Collectors how much he use to talk about you." He locked eyes with the man. "He loved you too, Kaidan."

Kaidan could not smile, though every part of his mind told him to.

"But hey, in a few days, most of us will be back, and we'll have one hell of a party," Garrus then said, "Just keep your… chin… thing… up." That made Kaidan laugh, knowing Turians did not have chins, only mandibles.

Kaidan just smiled, and asked for another drink.


	3. Chapter 3

This would be so much easier of EDI could have ran a diagnostics, the pilot thought as he searched through countless numbers of circuits and programing on the SSV _Normandy's_ main computers.

He had just returned a series of reconnaissance personnel from a major mission inside Citadel Space. Along the way they had come across some Pirate ships, which lead to a major squall. His beautiful ship had taken quite a lot of damage, especially on the port side. Most of it by now had been fixed, but the scratches were still there. Her silver paint was no longer defined, but spotted and scattered about. Joker knew she had seen better days.

Being extra careful not to break any of his fragile bones, Pilot Jeff (Joker) Moreau moved back and forth, plugging in backup systems, and realigning power couplets. Since EDI's death nearly three years ago, he had learned to do a lot of things by himself, and he admitted it was a pain in his ass.

He missed EDI tremendously, so he kept himself busy by doing things like this when it would be much easier just to get someone else to do it. Of course this would lead to risks of breaking some kind of important bone within his body, but it kept his mind occupied.

Also, soon he would get to see a lot of his old friends he rarely got to see anymore, like Tali, and his favorite blue beauty Liara. That would certainly take his mind off of everything.

Right…

God, he cursed to himself silently, he missed EDI… his favorite AI.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps from above him, like someone was entering his piloting station. It annoyed him, but he had to answer.

"Yes," he asked, voice strained as he connected one of the last systems to the main computer hard drive matrix.

"Get out from under there," stated a loud, booming voice.

Shit, thought Joker. He recognized the voice all too well. It was that of Admiral Matthew Ross Crafton… Admiral Anderson's replacement.

Without hesitation, he complied, and moved as fast as his fragile body would allow him. Once outside the confines of the compartment box, he stood at attention, and gave the asshole of an Admiral a salute.

Crafton returned it, then rubbed his black hair with the same hand.

"I'd just stop doing the repairs if I were you," said the Admiral, voice still the same way as before. "I have new orders for you, Mr. Moreau."

Joker watched as his omni-tool around his arm lit up its bright orange color. He opened the message sent, and read it carefully.

"Decommissioned," he exclaimed with total horror and anger. "What does this mean? You're taking my baby away from…"

"The Normandy has been a wonderful ship," interrupted the Admiral, "She's done more for this galaxy than any other out there… but she's five years old… and outdated. I think that last mission I sent you on proved that."

"They caught us off guard, sir," the pilot rebutted, feeling ashamed of himself for letting it happen.

"Even so," stated Crafton, "Five years of what the SR2 has been through is… outstanding. But it's time for her to go, and time to make way for new and more powerful galactic vessels."

Joker wanted to scream his head off, but knew it was best to keep silent. The _Normandy_ was his child, it had always been. She was like his only home. He had seen so many people aboard, and met even more. She had taken him places Joker never could have dreamed of. She even introduced him to the love of his life…

But she's dead now…

Don't harp on that, Jeff.

"You are to be reassigned," the Admiral ordered.

"To which shim, sir?"

"The SR2's replacement," said Crafton with a gigantic smile. "You saw her while coming into space dock earlier yesterday."

"The SSV _Judas_," asked Joker flabbergasted. "What do I want with that bucket of bolts?" He should not have said that.

"That bucket of bolts is the most powerful ship the Alliance has in her arsenal," retorted Admiral Crafton, voice much more stern than before. "She even outguns this frigate ten to one."

"That doesn't make a good ship, sir."

"You're right. The crew does," Crafton stated as he began to turn and walk away. "Report aboard the Judas at 1200 hours, sharp, Mr. Moreau," he then said, hands behind his back. "That's an order."

(^^^)

"Welcome aboard," said the Captain of _Judas_ James Doohan. Joker knew he was going to hate this guy. "I'll show you to the piloting station."

Joker shook his head and followed the Captain reluctantly, careful not to stomp his feet too badly for fear of breaking his shin bones.

The _Judas _was a clean ship right now, the blue lights showing no sign of dust, or wear, but that would soon change at the first sign of combat. It always did for every ship. There were also a lot more people here than before, and the computer stations were much more confined and compact. It gave individual a lot more room to walk about, and do their jobs. That still did not mean anything. The _Normandy's_ space was tighter, sure, he thought, but we still saved the whole galaxy with her.

Once inside the main control room, Joker was shocked to see three people playing around in separate seats, all calibrating the engine compulsion systems. That was not familiar.

"These are your two co-pilots, Mr. Moreau. They are the best the Alliance has to offer," Doohan said with a smug undertone. "I suggest you get to know them well. You'll be working with these two fine gentlemen from now on."

"Sorry, Captain," stated Joker, voice low, "I'm use to piloting on my own."

"Well," replied Doohan with a smile, "That would be impossible for the SSV Judas. A three-way piloting system is necessary to comply with the new engine system. It has its own Mass Relay, you know?"

That was astonishing. The Alliance had been trying to do that forever, even with the original SR1, but it had proven to be impossible at the time. That was definitely a giant step up from his _Normandy_, who only had FTL, and had to rely on the Mass Relays for quick transportation around the galaxy. The _Judas_ appeared to be able to do it at any time.

Maybe his ship was outdated now, he thought. But she was still his. The _Normandy_ would always be his favorite. No matter what new overly outlandish technologies the _Judas_ had at its arsenal, the SR2 would remain to be his favorite.

Three pilots too meant much more room for mistakes, and disagreements. Joker was going to hate this new job. It made him want to see his friends even more, and want to learn how they felt about their second home being decommissioned.

It just… it was not right. Nothing about seeing the _Normandy's_ retirement felt right. He had spent a good chunk of his life there, and now it would be gone. Even EDI's old hard drive core would disappear.

This was not going to be fun…


	4. Chapter 4

_The Geth were shooting in every direction. Without a single moment of silent, tracers crashed into whatever form of cover the Salarian used for cover, dust flying up, sparks exploding outwards creating thick plumes of smoke. _

_He blinked his round, black eyes, and felt the cut on his red skin, green blood dripping around the small shattered glass stuck in the wound. His pistol was at the ready, and waiting for a small gap of silence to end one of the synthetic being's life. _

_Why was The Shepard angry at them? Why where the Geth killing everyone here? _

_The Salarian Military man looked over his shoulder at his dead comrade, a bullet hole directly in the center of his forehead. Instantly, he felt the anger boil within him. The Geth were murdering innocents here, they had done nothing wrong. They were simply at their station, running a normal patrol of the local sector. _

_He saw his opportunity. The bright red Geth Prime had to reload, and the Salarian stood, emptied his clip into the head of the Synthetic life-form, and watched it fall to the ground in a heap, almost ready to explode. _

_Why was this happening?_

_Gunfire could still be heard from other rooms, screams echoing down the main hallways, blood splattered all over the walls, bodies lying on the white floor in heaps. _

_"__I didn't do anything." _

_A voice was heard in every section of the building, and it was like the sound pounded away at the Salarian's ear holes. He almost recognized it, but the sound was groggy, like the person saying this was choking on liquid, most likely blood. _

_"__The Shepard has demanded it," said a voice of a Geth, deep and brooding. "The Galaxy is equal… humanity and all."_

_There then was a gun shot, and all went silent. The Geth then left as quickly as they came, away in one of their countless numbers of Dreadnaughts, and towards a void unknown the any organic alive. _

_His thin body squeezed through tight corridors, thing fingers tightened their grip on the handle of his pistol, and he pushed forward, not knowing what was coming. Had the Geth all left? Who was alive? Who was dead? _

_As fast as the Salarian mind works, he was pushing his to the max, seeing his friends bodies all splattered around the ground, pools of green blood streaming through nuts and bolts hidden in between metal sheets. This was something he was not going to forget. _

_Then he saw the source of the voice… _

_He could not believe it. _

_Petronius… his commanding officer… shot… three times… head turned into a pile of mush. His name tag was still intact, and he weapon registered that he was out of ammunition. The commander had at least put up a fight. _

"Captain Pilate," rang a voice that stumbled him out of his slumber.

Pilate blinked rapidly, and let his eyes focused on the bright lights above his bunk. He always hated waking up, especially on this ship. It was not the same as his old one, but it was quick, and could outrun almost anything.

"Yes," he croaked as he pressed a button that lead his com to the communications center on the lower decks.

"There is a message sent to you by Agent Number 43. She says it's of importance, sir."

Pilate smiled, turned on his omni-tool and looked for the message. It was highlighted, just like the Salarian programmed. His big eyes then scanned it over, and immediately he got a glimmer of hope.

This could be his lead.

This could be what he has been searching for this whole time.

"I'm plugging in new coordinates into the memory banks. That is going to be our new destination." His voice was firm, and quick, excitement getting the best of him. "We're rendezvousing with a small Pirate vessel named The Kobayashi Maru." He then placed his favorite pistol into his utility belt, and walked out the door.

(^^^)

She hated Batarians… all of them.

The six eyed freaks could never be trusted, the scum of the Earth. But, the information they brokered was way too important in their cause to let it slip by unnoticed. If The Shepard was to be stopped, this could be the Galaxy's chance.

"Where are they," asked one of the Batarians, voice low just like most of them usually had.

"Captain Pilate will be here soon. Trust me," the female Salarian said aloud as she walked over to her personal computer station inside the crapped, darkly lit room of the small freighter.

The Batarian scoffed and went back to smoking his Earth Cigarette.

"If you say so, ma'am," he said, smoke piling out of his nostril holes creating a suffocating cloud that shut out a lot of the breathable air within the freighter. It made the Salarian hate him even more. "Just remember, I have a tight schedule to keep. As soon as I get my pay, I'm gone."

"If you say so," she replied, a small smirk on her fleshy face.

It was not long later the Pilate's ship arrived. It's massive, black hull was almost like camouflage against space around them. It was a true prodigy of Salarian technology, and there it was within their hands to lead the revolt against The Shepard. Especially compared to the bright red that the Batarian freighter which was a tiny piece of junk that has seen too much space time.

The Batarian looked up his communications monitor, and began to speak.

"Looks like you have a bug problem," he said, cigarette still in his mouth.

"Time to get it fixed," replied a determined sounding voice from the Salarian ship. The female instantly recognized it as Pilate, and she stepped forward.

She pressed a button, and they were now on a secure channel so no one else could hack in and listen. It was also extremely risky because of Geth patrols in the area. But, it was a risk she was willing to take.

(^^^)

"Channel secured, Captain," she said.

"Good," answered Pilate, voice sounding like it had a smile, "Now, transfer all data to our memory banks, and you shall receive the credits you asked for."

The Batarian complied without thinking, which was something the species did often. They were all in the now, and rarely thought of what the future might hold in store for them.

All data was transferred successfully, and the female Salarian took out the main flash drive that linked each computer.

"We thank you for your service," Pilate said, voice more solemn than before.

"You'll find it useful," the female said as the Batarian looked over at her, each eye looking confused.

"Now, get me my credits," he said frantically as he put out his cigarette, "I held up my end of the bargain. Now it's your turn."

There was a moment of silence, and all that could be heard was the constant hum of the FTL engines that powered both vessels.

"Credits are only good if you're alive," stated Pilate, "Thank you ma'am… you did your job well."

She smiled as the Batarian began to panic, and jolt the engines up as fast as any being could. He was breathing heavily, body convulsing back and forth and breath shaking out of pure fear.

Then there was nothing.

Pilate sat back in his chair as his troops moved back and forth with omni-tools glowing, and data pads lighting up with new information. Though the scene was joyous, the information received unbelievably valuable for what was about to happen, he refused to smile. The death of a fellow sympathizer, especially one that was a Salarian, is no laughing matter.

This was larger than an individual.

As the debris of the small Batarian freighter blowing away in the constant vacuum of space, their ship flew away with stealth, disappearing into the darkness like a cloak was thrown over them. The blackness of their bird-shaped vessel proved to be a valuable asset, and with the stealth compositors on, she was virtually invisible.

"Place in the coordinates relayed to us with the new data," Pilate said, "Lucius, come with me. I need some help."

Lucius gave a confused stare, him being second in command of the ship. Pilate knew he was supposed to be on the bridge, but this was more important. This was their lead, and there was no room for error.

The green skinned Salarian followed the Captain into the main conference room, it still being dimply lit with blue and orange lights. The table was made of pure glass, transparent, a hologram map in the center showcasing the current sector of Citadel Space they were in. It was no comfortable, admitted Pilate, but it would do. This ship was too valuable to pass up. She was key to winning this fight against The Shepard.

"What was this information we received," asked Lucius, voice punctual and driven.

"In Alliance space, there is a report of a Geth Unit that is not responding to The Shepard," Pilate answered crossing his armored covered arms.

"You mean it's not connected to the…" Lucius was flabbergasted, and Pilate understood. He too did not want to believe it.

"The Alliance Police are holding it under custody," Pilate interrupted as he pulled out his omni-tool, and a hologram projection of the Geth unit appeared. "The reports say that it is looking for Major Kaidan Alenko, a former colleague of The Shepard."

"How is this important to our cause?"

Pilate smiled, then turned off his omni-tool, placing both hands on the glass table.

"It wants to find The Shepard… and someone… eventually… is going to help it."


	5. Chapter 5

They had changed a lot in three years, all except Liara. She had about 700 more years of life left.

Tali was out of the bio suit she always had to wear while serving on the _Normandy_. Her hair was black, and eyes were a foggy white, almost as if they were glowing. She looked nothing like what Kaidan expected her to look like. The Quarian appeared almost human, except with paler skin, and the three fingers. But, he was happy to see her all the same, and she seemed to be happy to see him as well… then she saw Garrus. Kaidan was not about to butt in on them.

Wrex was a sight for sore eyes. The Krogan still had his massive head crest colored that bright red, and his armor looked more battered than ever. His eyes had grown more weary though, the reptilian features showing sign of wear and tear. Kaidan also noticed several more scars along the right side of his face, cutting deep into the scaly skin. No doubt it was from fighting with other Krogan clans tying to remove him from clan leader. Yet, judging by the gaping grin on his overstretched mouth, he too was at least content with seeing his friends from the, "Good ol' days."

Joker was in a fluster over something. Out of all of the old crew, it was him who saw the most drastic change. Jeff was no longer the man who earned his nick name. Kaidan saw the tiredness behind those green eyes, knew that life after the war had not been kind.

Cortez arrived, much thinner than before. This surprised Kaidan, but he looked past it, and embraced his old shuttle pilot. He had been assigned to teach new pilots how to fly the new shuttle models that replaced the Kodiak Cortez loved so much. Other than a few gray hairs, everything else was pretty much normal. Kaidan was surprised not to see his friend James Vega by his side, but Cortez apparently has not talked to the man since D-Day.

Liara had not changed one bit. She was still beautiful, and wore a dress to compliment her light blue skin. She even sounded the same when she talked, monotone and full of passion. The Asari beauty had been doing more Prothean digging since the end of the war, and had discovered many things that has led to massive technological spikes across the Galaxy. She also informed Kaidan the fate of their Prothean friend Javik, who had taken his life like he wanted to. It was stilling to hear, but at least now, if there was a heaven, he was with his loved ones. 50,000 years a part is a long time.

It was nice to see so many familiar faces. Kaidan found himself enjoying the moment, and not falling into his all too real depressed stoop like Garrus had found him in.

Their conversations were real, and full of life and the same passion that lead them all to become close friends during the war, but there was always one key element missing from everything. All the stories had a spark that was no longer there to jolt banter, to make them feel alive.

Shepard was still gone.

Was he dead? No one knows, but he is not here again… three years… gone.

Kaidan knew everyone felt it, but the emptiness in the pit of his stomach was almost unbearable every time he thought of his old commander. If anyone deserved to live out the Reaper War, it was him, and he did not. Kaidan took his place in life instead, and he was no savior.

"To absent friends," he toasted as they took their first drinks of the night.

At the same time, judging by the laughter and racial slurs escaping both Wrex' and Garrus' mouths, they were at least enjoying themselves. Then Kaidan saw the empty bottles of alcohol piled up all around the tables, and it explained everything.

"I can't believe it either," exclaimed Joker as he downed his third beer. "The _Normandy_ has plenty of years left to her. Sure, the _Judas_ has a bunch of great lights, and sure she can jump across the galaxy without a relay… but she's nothing like my ship!"

"The future has finally pushed us out," Tali said as Garrus wrapped an arm around her. "We had to have known it was coming."

"The _Normandy_ will always be the best ship the Alliance has to offer," Cortez butted in still sipping on his first drink. "What are they going to do to her?"

"I can't get an answer," yelled Joker, clearly intoxicated as Kaidan watched from the sidelines. "They'll probably scrap her… or make her into some kind of museum ornament." He leaned forward. "I tell you that is no place for that girl! She deserves to be in the stars, jumping back and forth, fighting…"

"Here, here," cheered Wrex throwing a beer over his shoulder, letting it shatter against the wall.

Liara clapped her hands together, a small, conniving smile on her face.

Kaidan smiled and prepared to clean it up. He refused to let himself get too drunk anymore because he never knew if something was going to happen. His Biotics Division was doing missions every day, and if they needed him, the Major wanted to be right there. It was his duty to do so.

A knock on the door surprised Kaidan, and everyone quieted down, but still talked amongst themselves. He walked over to the door, opened it, and was surprised to see an Alliance soldier standing there, hands behind his back.

"Major Alenko," he asked, voice monotone.

"Yes," Kaidan replied, wondering how the man found him here. Now, everyone in the room fell completely silent, and turned their attention to him.

"I was told I would find you here," said the soldier sending a message to the Major's omni-tool. "You are requested to come to Station Alpha tomorrow morning at 0800 hours."

"Why, if I may ask?"

"I was not informed, just was to send this message."

(^^^)

Station Alpha was the Citadel of Alliance Space, though much smaller. Many people were living there now, but mostly it was used for troop training, and docks for warships. It even had a massive prison inside there, and that was where Kaidan had been summoned to.

Ever since the war ended, the Major avoided at all costs contact with any form of artificial planet. It reminded him too much of his previous life, one full of action, adventure, and…

He cut himself off from finishing that thought, and let the guard show him inside the cell blocks. They glowed orange, and thugs stood still inside their holding areas. The sight was a mixture of depressing, and yet heartwarming. Most of these people were horrible individuals, the scum of the Alliance, but he simply could not imagine being stuck in a cell that small.

But why was he here? Why was he summoned? Did he do something wrong?

He could not have… right?

"Major Alenko," said a voice from around a corner. Kaidan looked and saw a female officer standing at attention, and she gave a salute. The Major returned it, and she motioned for him to follow.

They moved to the back end of Cell Block D, and opened the final holding area, entering several codes, and having their eyes scanned to make sure it was, in fact, them and not an imposter. The process took forever, and it annoyed Alenko significantly. But, it had to be done. Clearly, this was too important to pass up, or else he would not have been summoned.

The final gate opened, and two more guards were there, and they snapped to attention. Kaidan motioned for them to stand at ease, and they did so, only for him to see just what they were guarding… and it was not what he expected to see held up in jail.

"Legion," he gasped as the Geth unit stood up, and placed its arm behind his back.

"Alenko, Major," it said.

Kaidan closed the distance, shock crossing his face.

"How are you… I saw you… I was there when…"

"Legion," the Geth said in a questioning tone, "I believe that is what the organics use to call me."

"How did you…"

"This unit is unsure," it interrupted, "The consensus is… gone."

"You mean you can't…" Kaidan paused and shook his head. "The Consensus… does The Shepard ring a bell?"

"The Shepard?"

"You aren't controlled by…"

"Controlled by what, Alenko Major?"

Kaidan looked around at the guards, and motioned for them to get out. They complied, and shut the gates behind them.

He turned back around, got really close to the orange shielding, and looked directly into the Geth's glowing bulb.

"I saw you die on Ranoch. You died so that the Geth could evolve into sentient beings."

Legion tilted its head, then placed both hands to his side.

"Shepard saved your people…"

"Something has called me to come and find you," interrupted Legion, voice driven and to the point. "I have not yet discovered what… but Shepard… Shepard, Commander… that name is familiar to this units memory banks."

Kaidan blinked, then asked, "How are you alive?"

"Unknown."

"Why did you want me?"

"Something told me to."

"And you're not connected to the Consensus?"

"It is," Legion's bulb blinked, and it straightened its head, "Too silent for this Unit's liking."

"What do you mean?"

"It is lonely."

Kaidan was taken aback by this, and he scratched the stubble around his chin. What could this mean? Why was Legion alive? Why was it not was The Shepard?

"A voice is calling me," Legion stated lowering its head, "and it told me to find you." His voice was lower than before. "It keeps repeating something, and this unit is not sure how to interpret it." Legion then looked up, eye piece glowing bright white. "Shepard Commander is alive."


	6. Chapter 6

Getting permission to take the rouge Geth Unit home with him was difficult, but knowing key people in the Alliance has its advantages. Kaidan never liked to pull strings, but this was something that could not be ignored. William Shepard could be alive, and if that was true…

He cut himself short from the thought as Legion strode into the middle of Garrus' apartment building where every watched in a mixture of shock, horror, and awe. Legion seemed like it always had been, the little Kaidan knew of it, but something was still way off.

It looked identical, sounded identical, moved identically, but something just was not there. Even Tali picked up on it, she working with the Geth most out of everyone there.

The rear door opened, and Liara stepped forward, a small device following on a hovering machine. She moved with grace as all the others made way, except for Legion, who stood with his hands behind his back.

The Asari looked up at it, disbelief on her face, and she asked, "Do you remember me, Legion?"

"Correct," replied the Geth, "Liara T'Soni… Shadow Broker."

"He seems to remember everyone here except for Wrex," broke Tali moving away from Kaidan and over beside the AI. "At least that seems to be intact."

"Hopefully this machine of yours, Liara, will clear some things up for us," said Kaidan closing the distance created. He needed to know what was going on. He needed to find Shepard… needed to know if his Commander was still alive or not.

Liara began to hook Legion up to many servers, and chords connected with the monitoring devices on top of the hovering board. Liara seemed to know what she was doing as Tali guided her to extension ports on the Geth's body. Legion also appeared not to mind, and he sat down awkwardly in a chair Cortez has placed for it to sit in while the experiments commenced. All of this happening while Kaidan's knees were giving out, shaking with a mixture of anticipation and nervousness.

He wanted Shepard back. He never got him until the last year of the war, and even then it might have been too late. It was quick… too quick. Kaidan needed him back; to fill the hole three years has created. But, he did not want his hopes to get to high. This all could just be…

"We're ready, Kaidan," Tali said.

Kaidan approached and kneeled in front of Legion.

"Just ask the questions, and the answers will appear on the computer screen," he asked tilting his head to look at Liara.

"That's correct, Kaidan," she replied. "Start off with question one."

Kaidan locked his eyes on Legion's light bulb, then took a deep breath, and began the questioning as all the others watched with curiosity.

"What unit is this?"

"The Unit you refer to us Legion," it replied.

The computer monitor lit up, and what it said shocked everyone in the room, including the Legion. "William Shepard."

All went quiet, and Kaidan glanced over at Liara as she typed in more data on her tablet, Tali doing the same thing. Almost immediately, his throat reached his stomach, and it took every tiny bit of will power the L2 Biotic had to stop the tears from flowing.

"I could never leave you behind," he head in his mind. Those words Shepard had said to him after the battle of Virmire, where they had no choice but to leave Ashley Williams to die. Easily, it was the second worst day of the Major's life, watching Shepard die the first time taking the number one spot.

"Next question," Tali said, movements excited and curious just like always.

Kaidan complied with, "What is your race?"

"I am Geth."

Once again, the computer monitor lit up, this time it read, "Human".

This was too strange. A Geth's program thinks it is the synthetic being it was made to be, but programmed as if to think it was human. Kaidan scratched his head, a habit picked up by his old Commander after spending so much time with him.

"Where were you born," Kaidan then asked not looking directly at Legion.

"I was created on Ranoch, home of the creators."

The computer monitor then read, "Earth."

That was too much. Whatever this unit was, thought it was Commander Shepard. Something had to be the connecting piece to this puzzle, and with every passing second, Kaidan wanted to know more. This had to be leading to something, and he looked over at Garrus, Shepard's best friend, and he could tell the Turian was thinking the same thing. Yet, with every question answered, a million others had to be asked.

"Where is your home?"

Legion looked confused, and did not answer, however Liara's toy did.

"Destination 0:0:0"

Liara placed her hand over her mouth as Tali took in the information. What could this mean, thought Kaidan. However this was the first of something. Legion felt like it did not have a home, but clearly the programming did. But what was this? What location was it giving?

"That can't be," Liara said in disbelief.

"What," asked just about everyone in the room at the same time, all stepping forward, surrounding the monitor.

"The center of the Galaxy…"

Kaidan's jaw dropped, and his mind was made up. He knew where he was about to go. If Shepard was alive, he had to be found. He had to see Shepard again.


	7. Chapter 7

"No," snapped Crafton, "Absolutely out of the question. The Normandy's crew has too strict of a scheduled to follow to help support this wild goose chase."

Kaidan finished his coffee at the Alliance diner where he had asked to meet the Alliance Admiral in hopes of getting permission to look for Shepard. They had to return Legion though in the meantime, but that was protocol. It would be located in the same cell as before under the same guarding.

"Sir," Kaidan broke as the waitress refilled his mug, "If Commander Shepard is alive…"

"I know," interrupted Crafton after taking another sip of his black drink. "The idea of finding the Commander is mind blowing, but it's not going to happen. Major, I'm sorry but he's dead. I know what he meant to you, everyone saw it." He leaned forward and placed his hands together just under the Admiral's chin. "But my answer is no."

Kaidan felt annoyed and began to think of what was going to happen. He was begin kept from finding the one person who meant more to him than his own life. It was selfish, but the whole original crew agreed that it needed to be done. All the Major could do right now was take anoter deep gulp of his coffee.

"Major," stated Crafton, "You're a damned fine Biotic. Hell, you're the best we got." He then sighed, and continued with, "God, what you've seen not many could live through. You're not a normal human anymore. You're like a demi-god to a lot of the troops I command. But keep up this emotional roller-coaster you've been accumulating this whole time, and you'll destroy your entire career, reputation, and yourself.

Kaidan refused to make eye contact with the Admiral. All he could think of was what he had to do, and there was now only one option remaining. It would cost all those involved everything, and more, but it had to happen.

"Do you understand me, Major?"

Kaidan smiled, then gave a small chuckled after finished the other cup.

"I understand you, sir." He then looked his superior in the eyes. "It was worth a shot all the same, sir. I needed to at least try."

"I know, Major," replied Crafton as he finished his coffee. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have another meeting to get to."

With that, Admiral Crafton stood up, and walked away, leaving Kaidan to pay the tab. It was annoying, but he laid down the credits, and walked away, hands cupped into a fist. As he approached the exit door, Garrus, Tali, Wrex, and Cortez greeted him, all with a concerned look on their face.

"What's up," asked Cortez while he got the closest to Kaidan.

"He said no," answered Kaidan as he put on his Class Blue Uniform jacket. "I am therefore going to ignore his orders, and disobey all protocols laid out by the Alliance." Wrex then laughed with his low, booming voice, and Garrus did the same thing.

"I'll go inform Joker to get ready," Garrus said with enthusiasm.

"And this is why I love you guys," Wrex stated, a massive smile creeping across his dinosaur like face.

(^^^)

Station Alpha: the world's single largest space port with the exception of the Citadel…

That was where Legion was, so that is where Kaidan had to start.

The shuttle ride there was as expected, overly drawn out, complicated, and dry. Kaidan had Wrex with him, wanting a nice brute in case things got sower. Sure, Wrex was more than just a big gun to him, but having a Krogan on a mission such as this would be useful. Krogans were big, and could take a beating without much damage to their reptilian like body.

Judging by the look on the Krogan Clan Leader's face, he too was annoyed with the ride. Security had been beefed up in the last two years, and the Krogan were highly targeted because of their warrior status.

Kaidan on the other hand knew what to expect. Being stripped, scanned, and magnetically searched because of his L2 Biotic implants was a natural thing for the Major by now.

The journey made them see the _SSV Judas_ in full view, and she was something to behold. It was like a slimmer, and larger version of their _Normandy_, but something was still missing. Perhaps it was the black armor, and the gold plated lettering? Kaidan did not know, but what was true was that the SR2 had a running for her money now. The Future was now here, and ready to push them out of the way to take the spot light.

Once they boarded the main docking center, security was there to greet them. They had no choice but to do the same as before, but this time able to keep their side arms with them as protocol. Wrex was clearly trying his best to ignore this lengthy process. This made Kaidan want to laugh, but managed to keep himself still.

The halls were lit with mixtures of Alliance Blue lights, red ones, while the walls were a pale steel color. The Alliance logo was also painted every ten feet it seemed as they passed a few holding cells of delinquents that either had disobeyed important orders from top brass, or deserted all together. They were nothing but scum as far as Kaidan was concerned.

Eventually, they arrived at Legion's holding cell. It too was guarded like before, and with the same poor saps no less. They probably had no clue what was coming for them.

Kaidan made Wrex stand outside the cell as they relayed to the guards the fake authorization passes forged by a good friend of Shepard's during his attack on the Collectors. She truly was a master thief.

It worked, and they let him inside to see the rouge Geth Unit. He was laying down, hands over the area known as the chest, and the light bulb it used for an eye was dim, almost unable to be seen.

"Legion," Kaidan stated stepping forward and taking a seat on the metallic, basic standard issue bed.

Legion stirred, and moved its head to lock its eye with the Major It then fluttered, and immedialy began to glow its familiar aura of a mixture of red and white.

"Alenko, Major," it stated, voice sounding slightly surprised.

"We're finding Shepard," Kaidan then said with a small smirk as he grabbed the Geth by the shoulder and pulled him up. "Guards, I need some help!"

One of those men entered, letting down the magnetic ceil around the door. This would give the crew the opportunity to escape, and commence the operation as planned.

"I think something's wrong with the Geth's programming here," Kaidan said as the Guard closer to get a better look.

The man complied only to get a fist to the face with a slight biotic charge enough to knock him out. The blue, pulsating lights surrounded the Guard, and it let lose a shock that went straight to the brain, and away he went, hard against the silver wall.

Kaidan then heard Wrex outside, and a massive grunt from the other Guard, which meant that he too was out of their hair. So now, he had to help Legion outside, and to the Normandy. Once out of the cell, the other man was lying in a heap. It looked almost pathetic as Wrex cracked his knuckles, and gave Kaidan a smug look.

"One hit," he said, "I've still got it."

"Let's get going before their help arrives!"

Immediately, all three of them were booking it outside. The lack of normal armor was actually helpful in this case. There was not anything to weigh them down, and bog how quickly they had to move in order to get to the _Normandy_.

Legion was on his own, easily keeping up with them. Shepard had informed Kaidan of how quickly, and easily the Geth was able to work with others, though Kaidan had a hard time believing it. Right now, it was proving him wrong. Perhaps it was because of his fights with the Geth on the first _Normandy_ six years ago.

They heard a loud clang, and a woman in Alliance uniform went flying across the hall directly to their front. Each stopped with a slight skid of their boots, and watched as the blue ring around the woman dissipated.

Liara stepped around the corner, body glowing the dark blue from her natural biotics. Tali was not far behind, a small firearm in her grasp.

"Hello there," she said with a smile. "I knocked out the terminal coms and cameras. That'll give us no longer than 10 minutes to get to Cortez' shuttle."

"I've also managed to knock out just about all the on-duty guards for us," Liara replied sounding slightly like she took pride in that. "Tali here would have just woken everyone up."

"This is fun," Tali laughed as a reply.

Kaidan smiled, patted her on the shoulder, and they began to move again, all as a single unit, just like old times.


	8. Chapter 8

What had Joker just done? It was easily something to be proud of. Tali had taught him a lot in those years of flying around war zones. He felt so smug as he trotted his way through the bridge of the _Judas_, now easily knowing where to turn to not be noticed by many inmates.

The room was so bright compared to the _Normandy's._ It looked like the SR2 when it served for the pro-human organization Cerberus. The lights were bright, making it easy to maneuver crowded areas. Joker got use to the original Alliance Standard lights, dark blue, shades of red and orange in every direction.

"Mr. Murrow," shouted a voice from around a corner. Joker instantly recognized it as Captain Crafton. He turned, straightened his back, and tried not to break one of his brittle bones.

"Captain," he said with a fake smile, "It's nice to see you." No it was not.

"You heading out, LT," Crafton asked with a thick book under his right arm.

"I have friends coming to my apartment down on Earth. A shuttle is coming to pick me up shortly. I have all my paperwork…"

Crafton held up his hand to stop Joker from continuing.

"No need to explain more," the smug Captain said closing his eyes and holding out his free hand, "Just be back tomorrow so we can finally test this baby out, and surpass the records of the _Normandy._"

Joker shook his head, laughed as best he could, and replied with, "Of course, sir. 08000 hours it is!"

He then turned and began to walk for the elevator shaft that lead to the main docking port aboard the Judas. Joker then turned, saw the Captain walking away and speaking with another ensign far away now. The walls were white, and the computer pads were lit a dark orange, each individual letter lit up like an old Christmas tree.

"You can shove that record up your ass," Joker said with a crooked smile as the sliding doors shut, and away he went. Everything so far has gone according to plan.

(^^^)

The reached Cortez in good time, and the alarms had not gone off as of yet. That was good, Kaidan thought with every step he took.

"Come on slow pokes," shouted Cortez from his famous Kodiak Shuttle. Kaidan missed the sight with all honesty. "Garrus is picking up Joker, and he's on his way to the target. Let's get moving!"

"Not much time remaining either before everything lights up again," replied Tali as she took her first steps into the shuttle that took them from hell and back several times during the Reaper War.

Legion followed, then the rest began to pile inside.

Cortez sat down on his seat, buckled himself in, and gave a glance back at Kaidan who was doing the same thing. The Major could see the concern in the shuttle pilot's eyes, so he gave a re-assuring smile back, hopefully giving some kind of boost Cortez would need. Shepard taught him that, and usually it worked.

With a sudden jolt, the Kodiak took off, and soon escaped gravity, and away they went for the _Normandy_. Nothing still happened on the end of Alliance yet, which was still a really good sign for them.

Kaidan watched as the Normandy grew closer and closer. She was bruised still from her last battle with pirates, but god was it still a sight to behold. It was like his second home, and soon he would be returning to it. The Biotic wished it was under better circumstances, but this was too important. Shepard had to be found. Legion was the key to it all.

"Thank you, Alenko, Major," Legion stated while still sitting down.

Kaidan looked back at the Geth, a blank stare on his face.

"Don't thank me yet," he said before reading over a schematics chart on his omni-tool, "The miracle is still to come."

The approach was easy, and quiet. As the _Normandy_ grew closer, the memories did too. There were a lot of good times, and a lot of bad times. Also, seeing their old ship damaged in such a way was almost too much to bear. She was once the proud ship of the Alliance, now going straight to the scrap yard.

Cortez parked the shuttle inside the back bay where they always use to return from missions, sometimes in better shape than others. Everything looked the same; dark blue lights shining against the metallic hull, red lights shining on the ceiling representing that they had successfully docked, and were ready to exit.

As soon as Kaidan took his first steps off the Kodiak, the memories shot directly in front of his eyes. It was almost like he could feel one of his signature migraines coming, but no matter what he had to push them back. This was too important. Shepard was too important.

"Welcome aboard," shouted a voice over the intercom. Kaidan instantly recognized it as Joker, and gave a small smile.

"Permission to come aboard, LT," he said sarcastically as he made his way of to the main elevator located at the back of the docking area. The rest of the crew followed.

"Granted, Major."

It took a while, but eventually as the floors passed by, they reached the first floor that linked with the major stations of the _Normandy_. It still had the signature Galaxy Map in the center, it still glowing and swirling with every passing second, perfect to be seen on the stairs that held above everything else.

As the room drew to more shallow end that lead to Joker's station, Kaidan felt the weight of the situation. Soon, no matter how stealthy they tried to be, the Alliance would spot them. Hopefully Joker's plan would work and give them the time they needed.

"Tali," Kaidan stated, "Get to your station on deck three."

"Okay," she replied as she gave Garrus a quick smile, and walled back towards the elevator.

"Light her up, Joker," ordered the Major placing one of his hands on the man's leather seat.

Joker gave an evil smile, took his hat visor with his index fingers, tilted it down, and pressed the main power button leading to the engines.

Instantly, the SR2 lit up, windows bright, lights shining her name proudly on both sides. It was a sight to behold.

Kaidan wanted to show his excitement. The chance of seeing Shepard again was something that his emotions could not ignore. But first, they had to escape Station Alpha, and the wrath of the Alliance. That was the key at this moment.

He turned to look at those who agreed to go this far, wanting to speak to them before doing what they could never take back.

"You've all done a good job, and done more than I could have asked," the Major said rubbing his head. "I won't ask anything more. From here on out, this is between me and Legion."

"Come on, Alenko," laughed Liara.

"We're wasting time here," replied Garrus.

The comradely was still there, even after six years. They were still friends, bothers in arms, standing together like a thick wall. They have each other's back, and would protect what they have come to love. Shepard did this to them. Without him, none of these individuals would have met. Though the war made things hard, it was easily, "One hell of a ride."

_"__It sure was," replied Shepard as the original crew boarded the Normandy one last time before the final push to Earth. _

_A beautiful one at that…_

"Alright then," Kaidan said, an emotion of love and respect flowing through his veins. "Everyone, get to their stations. Let's go find our Commander."

Everyone then broke to their old positions: Garrus was at the main batteries, Tali by the engines, Liara in the lab section. It was all the same as before, except this time there were no ensigns walking around. The ship was barren, different, changed because of this, and it was not setteling well for the L2 Biotic.

"Let's get out of here," Kaidan said giving a gentle pat on the pilot's shoulder.

"Aye, aye, sir," Joker replied as he pressed a button that threw the _Normandy_ in reverse.

"Tali," Kaidan shouted over a com station, "Make sure you start hacking right now. If not… we've had it."

"Have some faith in my, Major," she said, voice full of sarcasm, "I'll break us out of here."

Kaidan then watched as the SR2 pushed away from her holding dock, slowly, steadily, not wanting to do any damage to the surrounding areas. Being with a less than skeleton crew aboard, any kind of damage taken would be extremely problematic to the mission. Already, she had battle scars, and nothing has happened yet.

Alliance troops ran out onto the shielded deck hall that led to the conning station, all with assult riffles in their hands, and armor covering every inch of their bodies. They looked up, and began to radio in some kind of situation report. Kaidan could tell because it was standard issue in a this case scenario.

Their cover had just been blown, and soon the Judas would wake up and give chase. If things did not go exactly as the crew had planned out, this would be a short ended, one sided debacle. With nothing more to say, Kaidan just leaned on his own chair, and watched everything he could. Now it was up to Joker and Tali to get them out of Station Alpha… for Shepard.

(^^^)

Captain Doohan was lying in his bed, reading the book that had captivated his profound attention for several months over his small tablet. He always found himself doing this before calling it a night by 1900 hours because the early morning shift always called his name.

Tomorrow was also The _Judas'_ first true test run. He wanted everyone to be in tip top shape for both inspection, and the actual flight itself. Three Admirals would be aboard, and this was his chance to show he was a competent commander. Perhaps this would even land him his dream job as a…

An alarm went off that was the direct connection to his com. With annoyance brewing in the pit of his gut, he reached over and tapped the signal button that allowed him to speak and be heard by whoever was calling.

"Captain Doohan," he replied with a slight yawn, and eyes scrunching.

"Sir," shouted a voice of an ensign who just joined the crew yesterday, "We're under a Priority 5 alert."

Confused, Doohan lifted and eyebrow, then replied with, "How can we be under that if we're in Station Alpha?"

"Sir," answered the young voice, excited, panicked at the same time, "Someone is stealing the _Normandy_!"

Doohan got a sudden clue who was behind this. No doubt Joker was taking his ship back. Damned fool, he thought as he stood up and threw on his dress blue jacket. He is throwing his entire career away. But no doubt he was alone. The _Normandy_ may be outdated but she needed some kind of crew to keep everything running.

This had to have something to do with that strange Geth, he concluded.

"I'm on my way. Contact Admiral Crafton of the situation, now!"

(^^^)

"Station Alpha docking bay exit, approaching," said Joker, voice monotone.

"Tali," stated Kaidan leaning forward, viewing his screen showcasing the black doors still closed, and creeping closer and closer, "How's it coming down there?"

"This is proving to be more difficult than expected, sir."

"Not what I wanted to hear!"

The _Normandy_ still crept back, her body unable to turn from the shallow area given. Normally, the docking bay would turn so the ship could simply fly out, smooth sailing. However, this had to be done quickly, and without the right jurisdiction to order a table turn. Just this part a lone was a major risk. Colliding with either wall would result in a crash, and most likely, the ship would explode. Joker though was doing his job, keeping the speed the same, and piloting her smoothly with steady form.

"Tali…"

"I just intercepted a message," stated Liara from her room on the second floor, "We're being ordered to surrender this vessel."

"That wouldn't be fun," replied Wrex over his com down on the bottom floor to the ship.

This made Kaidan crack a smile. If anything, the Krogan knew how to lighten a situation. On that same token however, he was intimidating as all hell.

But the fact still remained. Those doors needed to open for them to escape.

The com lights lit up, and a voice began to speak loudly.

"This is Captain Doohan of the SSC Judas. Major Alenko, we ask you to stand down before it is too late."

"Pretentious prick," Joker mused with another cocking grin.

The Captain continued to speak, "Do not throw all of your careers away."

"Keep going, Joker," Kaidan replied.

"Planning on it sir."

The doors were almost there, and they still remained shut. Tali had to do something fast, or else they were destroyed. Nothing would be left of them other than a large splat. Tensions began to grow within everyone on board the _Normandy_, eyes pinned on rear view screens as the blackness consumed all four corners.

His heart began to beat, and Kaidan's grip on the chair tightened, breaths shallow and raspy. They just might not make it here, he thought as he closed his eyes for a split second to wipe sweat from his forehead.

Just then, they opened, revealing the absolute beauty that is the void in space. Instantly, Kaidan lowered his shoulders, and began to breathe again as the Normandy pushed back, and completely exited Station Alpha, lights shining on it as tiny Alliance shuttles flew around in a massive panic.

"Straighten her out, Joker," Kaidan said stepping back. Joker complied, and the FTL drive began to kick in. On cue, he made his ship roll over, and turn to the coordinates of the closest Mass Relay to take them to the coordinates they plotted into the main computers. "Let's get out of here."

The _Normandy_ pushed forward like the lance she was, cutting through the emptiness like a hot knife through butter. Even with her gaping wounds, she was so majestic, beautiful in her movements as the rear exhaust panels began to glow their signature blue.

Slowly behind them, the _Judas_ appeared. Her black body was almost the complete opposite of their vessel. Though she carried the same shape, the coloring changed everything.

_Judas _was the sign of the future, and could easily outrun their little frigate. Kaidan felt himself praying that Joker had done his job right.

"FTL jump ready, Kaidan," Tali stated from the engine room.

"Hit it!"

With a sudden jolt, and a massive boom, the _Normandy_ shot into the distance in a blink of an eye, leaving her enemy behind. Now started the moment of truth.

(^^^)

"Power up the main Mass Relay," barked Doohan. "They really think they can outrun us? Man, do they have a lot to learn."

One of the drivers of the Judas turned to looked directly into the Captain's eyes.

"Ready, sir."

Doohan smiled and placed his hands behind his back.

"Not the way I had in mind," he muttered, "But let's get those bastards." He lowered, leaning towards the main view screen. "Engage, ensign."

The soldier hit the Mass Relay lever, and there was a massive buildup in power to the point most of the lights dimmed for a few seconds. The sound of gears and energy piling into one given area surrounded them, getting louder and louder with every second the passed by.

Suddenly, all power turned off, and the emergency lights turned on. The dark red covered every tiny surface all around them, creating an eerie scene. No other color was possible to be spotted, just the different shades created from the massive lights all around the ceiling and floors.

"What the fuck happened," asked Doohan with anger.

"Something has interrupted the main computer," an Ensign replied, "I'm not sure what happened."

Doohan on the other hand connected the dots. Joker was on the other ship, his bucket of bolts, and he was in a massive hurry to get of the _Judas_.

"Joker," Doohan began to laugh, "You fucker!"

"Tali is a really good teacher," Joker laughed as he took several netblocks from his pocket and placed them into Kaidan's hand.

"I'll make sure to relay the information," Kaidan answered as he turned around, "Get us to the Mass Relay."

"Aye, sir."

The Major walked away, wanting to either find Cortez or Legion. Either one seemed to be his slight source of control, and sanity at this moment. One was a good friend, the other was his key to William Shepard.

Legion was the one he found first, standing by a computer monitor completely still, light bulb glowing unnaturally bright.

"Legion," the Major stated stepping up beside him, "What have you found out?"

Legion turned, said in its monotone voice, "I have not gained any information Alenko, Major. I am still at square one."

"But you still feel like you're being called?"

"Yes."

Kaidan rubbed his chin, not knowing what to expect next.


	9. Chapter 9

Pilate read the intercepted reports like it was his life. This news was amazing, and just made his entire existence much easier. The Salarian smiled, putting his tablet down, and he marched out of his room, down the main hallway of their ship, and into the control room.

"Commander on deck," shouted a soldier at his station.

In a blink of an eye, everyone was standing, the formal way to greet a Salarian Naval Officer.

"As you were," Pilate answered as he approached his command chair. "Place a course for the Quantum Mass Relay, full FTL."

Luscious turned in his chair, a confused look over his scarred, red face.

"I thought we were heading to…"

"The game has changed," interrupted Pilate. "It appears that major Alenko and his gallant crew has stolen the _Normandy_, and our mysterious Geth Unit." He clapped his hands together, intertwining his three fingers. "No doubt he's going where that VI is telling him to go. So, where he goes… we go."

"I understand, sir," Lucius replied turning back to his duties.

Pilate closed his eyes, shook his head, and the smile on his face grew larger. This was more perfect than he could have thought.

"The Shepard is no more."


End file.
